Is America a Personification of the Messiah son of Joseph?
Contents:
1, Questions (adapted from the Hebrew). King Saul and his son Jonathan.
2. MBJ from Rachel.
3. The USA and MBJ.
4. Brother Jonathan is the USA!
5. Take all this in Moderation!
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1. Questions (adapted from the Hebrew). King Saul and his son Jonathan.
https://www.hidabroot.org/question/16242
In each generation is there somebody worthy to be the Messiah son of Joseph (MBJ) in the same way as there is always somebody who, if the situation allowed it, could be the Messiah son of David (MBD)?
For example the Sages said King Hezekiah of Judah with a little more effort could have become Messiah son of David.
Could Saul have become the Messiah son of Joseph since he was from the Tribe of Benjamin? Benjamin like Joseph was the son of Jacob and Rachel.
In some respects Benjamin is considered part of the House of Joseph.
e.g.
Shimei ben Gera 'of the Yemini [Benjaminites]' offered allegiance to David on behalf of the House of Joseph:
"See? I have come today, the first of the entire House of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the King" (2-Samuel 19:21.
Does the Messiah son of David have to be a direct descendant through the father of David?
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2. MBJ from Rachel.
The Messiah son of Joseph will fight wars on behalf of Israel and prepare the way for the Messiah son of Davidiy. MBJ must be a descendant of Rachel, i.e. either Benjamin or Joseph.
For instance even though destroying Amalek (descendant of Edom) is the task of Joseph King Saul from Benjamin was charged with carrying it out and was punished for not doing so properly.
The Descendants of Saul, Mordecai and Hadassah (in the Book of Esther) partially rectified this when they fought against Haman who was a descendant of Amalek.
Were it says that Esau only falls at the Hands of Joseph it means either Joseph or Benjamin since both derive from their mother Rachel.
The Hatam Sofer (Talmud Megillah) 1762-1839, pointed out that since in the time of Jeremiah a small number of Exiles from the Ten Tribes did return then there could be many from Joseph among the present-day Jews.Messiah son of Joseph may therefore emerge either from among the Jews or from out of the LTTs.
Sources exist saying that both Saul and Yehonatan could have together played the role of Messiah son of Joseph preparing the way for Messiah son of David who would then have been (if the situation allowed) the Messiah son of David himself.
There is a tradition that before the coming of MBD MBJ will be, or might be, killed. Saul and Yehonatan were killed together just before the reign of David.
Many great Tsadikim (saints, very holy people) among the Jews were martyred (like the MBJ) in preparing the way for MBD. They were fulfilling an aspect of MBJ.
Hatam Sofer notes that Moses at the beginning did not expect to become a Redeeming Savior. He only became aware of it after the Almighty appeared unto him and put INSPIRATION with him. The same with Saul.
Divine Inspiration is needed.
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3. The USA and MBJ.
We have pointed out many times that the MBJ is not only a specific individual who will appear but also a whole movement.
Rabbi Avraham Isaac HaKohen Kook (1865-1935) spoke of this at length land so have numerous rabbis after him.
The LTTs (Lost Ten Tribes) are in the west and Joseph is especially predominant among the English-speaking peoples.
First the British then the American partially fulfilled the role of MBJ by helping create and sustain the State of Israel and saving the Jews.
{The British were sometimes negative but they did more good than they are given credit for. We are preparing a book on this matter}.
King Saul and his son Yehonatan together had aspects of MBJ.
The USA was nicknamed "Brother Jonathan" before being known as "Uncle Sam."
Wikipedia, "Brother Jonathan," tells us:
Brother Jonathan is the personification of New England. He was also used as an emblem of the United States in general, and can be an allegory of capitalism. Inside New England, "Brother Jonathan" was depicted as an enterprising and active businessman who blithely boasted of Yankee conquests for the Universal Yankee Nation
After 1865, the garb of Brother Jonathan was emulated by Uncle Sam, a common personification of the continental government of the United States.
As Kenneth Hopper and William Hopper put it, "Used as a term of abuse for their ... Puritan opponents by Royalists during the English Civil War, it was applied by British officers to the rebellious colonists during the American Revolution".
According to an article in the 1893 The Lutheran Witness, Brother Jonathan and Uncle Sam were different names for the same person:
"When we meet him in politics we call him Uncle Sam; when we meet him in society we call him Brother Jonathan. Here of late Uncle Sam alias Brother Jonathan has been doing a powerful lot of complaining, hardly doing anything else."
Uncle Sam is derived from the name "Samuel" who was the Prophet responsible for the inauguration of King Saul.
Brother Jonathan
symbol of the US preceding Uncle Sam.
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5. Take all this in Moderation!
We found a source saying that Jeroboam ben Nebat who led the LTTs in their secession from Judah was a an incarnation of MBJ who went wrong.
https://www.yadmeir.co.il/?CategoryID=968&ArticleID=6405
A lot of material exists on these matters.
We would advise our followers and fellow-travellers not to get carried away with it.
A little here and there, now and again helps but it must never become the main theme.